Ron Steeves spent Wednesday morning from 7:00 am to Noon
at Cape Enrage in the beautiful weather, very little wind - Sunny with cloudy
periods.
There was continual movement of sea ducks for the entire
time there.
The majority of ducks were scoters. Ron tabulated
approximately 60 flocks during that time with the largest being an estimated
1500 and 1200 birds.
It was difficult to tabulate an exact count as he was
alone and sometimes the numbers were overwhelming.
His estimated count for Cape Enrage
was:
Double Crested Cormorants 6
Common Eider 553
Black Scoters 6364
Surf Scoters 553 (unusual to come
up with the same # as Eiders)
White Wing Scoters 10
Total Scoters
7480
Ron
has made 11 trips to Cape Enrage so far and his records show sea birds
seen to-date as 42,418.
Other birds seen Wednesday:
Red breasted mergansers 3
Long tailed ducks 98
Brant 27
Red Throated loon 16
He
spent 3 1/2 hours at the New Horton Church Hawk Lookout with absolutely no
migrating raptors spotted. Ron comments this year the raptor watch has been a
bust hoping things pick up soon.
** Roger Leblanc, Alain Clavette, and Jason Gallant made a run from Shediac to Bouctouche on Wednesday. They report SCOTERS seemed to be everywhere there. However their biggest surprise find of their day was back in Pointe du Chene. There is a stream that comes in just as you drive down to the wharf, and a few thousand gulls were there. They started to look through the flock and were amazed to spot at least forty five LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS [Goéland brun] among the flock, which is a very surprising number of this species in one spot in the Maritimes. Roger comments that he does not recall seeing more than three Lesser Black-backed Gulls in any one spot before, to make this a very surprising find. Roger suggests that folks check out that area as more surprises may well be there.
** Judy Marsh spotted four TREE SWALLOWS [Hirondelle bicolore] flying
contentedly over Keddy's Pond on Wednesday. This was off the Shediac Rd. by the
former Keddy's Motel.
** Gabriel Gallant heard his first SPRING PEEPERS [Rainette
crucifère] in a loud chorus in a swampy area near his workplace on Edinburgh
Dr. in Moncton on Wednesday. There were also some WOOD FROGS [Grenouille des
bois] with them but they were drowned out by the loud Peepers.
** Louise Nichols also heard a chorus of both SPRING PEEPERS [Rainette
crucifère] and WOOD FROGS [Grenouille des bois] from her home in Sackville on
Wednesday night.
** Susan Richards spotted her first COLTSFOOT in full bloom in a disturbed
area in Amherst on Wednesday. This is one of the plants participants of the
project PlantWatch are monitoring for first bloom date. Susan also noted an
adult BALD EAGLE [Pygargue à tête blanche] standing in the mud
in the Memramcook River, apparently waiting for a passing meal before it lifted
up to the cliff edge to watch from there.
** In addition to recent links to suggest how to see some
of the amazing photography of Ralph Eldridge on Machias Seal Island, it has been
pointed out that the second link of 103 migrants is much more easily accessed
at the attached link.
Nelson
Poirier,
Nature
Moncton
BALD EAGLE.APRIL 13, 2016.SUSAN RICHARDS.
COLTSFOOT.APRIL 13, 2016.SUSAN RICHARDS.
COLTSFOOT.APRIL 13, 2016.SUSAN RICHARDS.
